The forest and the trees (once again)

I've spent a fair amount of time dealing with forestry-related issues on this blog.  Forestry is the biggest sector of the economy in NB, and many people in my family have been involved in 'the woods,' as we call it.

The Alward government is getting ready for the election this fall. They have had an extremely difficult economic situation to deal with, no doubt about that.  When all those chickens from past years started coming home - Point Lepreau, NB Power, highway tolls (we're still paying, we just don't pay at the booth) - it sure wasn't pretty.  And with an aging population, poor literacy and health rates and a lack of new entrepreneurs, it's a tough sell to convince people that you're the party that will lead New Brunswickers to jobs, prosperity and health.

That being said, the elephant in the room provincially has been, and likely always will be, the woods. Europeans started coming here for the trees and Crown Land is still our greatest resource.  And like any resource, access is power.

We are currently in the midst of a very intense and long-running debate about who those trees are for and who should benefit from them.

Is it First Nations?  The people who scholars say still have legal title to land they have never ceded?  My feeling is that over the next decade, the Supreme Court of Canada will be asked to rule on this.  The treaties exist but my understanding is they presently are not being respected.

Is it the people of New Brunswick?  A few years ago, the government commissioned a new study about how people use the woods and found that people have a high recreational value for the woods, and that they believe Crown Land should be used for the benefit of communities, not only to create jobs but also to provide habitat for wildlife and a place for people to enjoy nature.  The (Graham) government didn't allow this report to be released, and cancelled the meetings that were supposed to be held so people could engage with this report.

Or is it for forestry companies?  It is so hard not to be cynical about this.  Especially after attending several presentations involving forestry execs who tell us patronizingly that if we don't find a way to change public policy, the big mills will have to shut down.  Like a parent wagging his finger at small children who just will never 'get it.'

They use the 'jobs' as a threat and a weapon, while conveniently ignoring that our forestry industry is one the most highly mechanized in the world, meaning it takes a whole lot of clear-cuts to create even a few jobs. The reality is that maple syrup, value-added products, furniture, wood pellets, all these "niche markets" have a greater potential to create jobs from Crown wood than more clear cuts.

What I would like to know is: how does the government of a province that is deeper in debt every year justify losing money on Crown Land?  The reality is, and several former cabinet ministers have publicly stated this, that our tax dollars are going to PAY companies to cut down the Crown Land, process it in private mills, and keep the profits in private bank accounts, some of which are offshore and not even subject to Canadian taxes.

New Brunswickers are probably not aware that the Irving family is one of the top five landowners in the world.  Meaning they own a bigger share of planet Earth than almost anyone, excepting certain royal families and American corporate kings.

This latest forestry announcement is terrible news for our province.  The jobs and investment being discussed here are going to cost the taxpayers piles of money, and do nothing to advance the values New Brunswickers have articulated, time and time again.  The impact on wildlife, public land and  the public purse will not be pretty. New Brunswickers need to get educated on this subject - no aspect of public policy will have a bigger impact than this.

Toronto, and Montreal

Don't worry, this isn't a hockey post.

I was fortunate to experience the miracle people call "vacation" last week.  It meant some time off - from emails, from obligations and set schedules, from housework and best of all from "the daily grind." They call it a grind for a reason, that feeling that if it doesn't stop soon you'll be ground down into a fine powder, untraceable forevermore.

Melodramatic?  Yes, a bit, but sometimes I can't help myself.  Especially when it's been years since I had a real vacation, with the luxuries listed above. So off we went, my sister and I, piled into the car with a list of friends to visit and nothing else particularly on the agenda.  What a beautiful relief!

First stop, Montreal.  La belle province.  Avec mes belles amies.  How wonderful to share time with intelligent women who are coming up in the world, who are a pulverizing combination of brains, beauty, hard work, wit, and charm . . . . the list goes on.

I am not convinced the world is fully ready for these women - educated and competent, ready to make an important contribution to society but still dealing with a society that thinks blonde doctors can't be in charge, or that you can't sound divine if you don't look perfect. But the world is going to have to deal with it, and while many people spend their time worrying about the effect Miley is having on their daughters, they are missing the myriad of role models right in front of their faces.  It's the glacier effect, slow-moving but inescapable transformation over time.

Montreal seems different to me this year.  We spent our honeymoon there in early fall 2010.  Maybe I'm exaggerating, maybe it's the long winter everyone seems to be cursing, but there seemed to me a black cloud hanging over the city this time.  My initial perception, being a political junkie, is that maybe this whole "Charter of Values" has really hit a sore spot, and people in Montreal are feeling the edge of a political wedge that is being driven into their city and the province as a whole.

On the street, I heard a random man say "I don't want to hear people in English," then switching to French. And although I was only there a short time, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being judged as outsiders, and not quite measuring up. People seemed weary, and I couldn't quite put my finger on why.
The joie de vivre I have experienced so many times before seemed noticeably absent.

This all in contrast to Toronto . . . stay tuned for part two, hopefully this week.